Nathan’s arrival could just be the beginning

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Nathan’s Famous made its debut in the Dining Hall, on Feb. 24, the first widely known food chain to serve on campus.

Although specializing in hotdogs, students have been lining up for burgers, fries, chicken tenders and much more at the new Nathan’s. Within the first two weeks, it has accounted for 35 percent of total sales in the Q-Cafe.

“More people are gravitating to the Nathan’s,” director of dining services, David Crump said. “We’ve seen a shift from the other stations that sell hot food.”

Last spring, Chartwells administered a preference survey, soliciting feedback from students. Of the respondents, 52 percent said they would like to see a national brand on campus, according to Crump.

“What I’ve seen students’ saying is ‘why not get a Subway on campus? Why not get a Taco Bell on campus? Why not get a Pizza Hut on campus?’” president of student association, Matthew Louie said. Crump proposed the idea to start with a regional brand to see how students responded and Louie showed his support.

There are no plans to have Nathan’s on more locations on campus. However, there are discussions to include additional brands, according to Crump.

“There are a lot of brands that are available to us. For instance: Pizza Hut Express, KFC Express, Starbucks — a licensed Starbucks,” Crump said, pointing out that the Starbucks located in three locations on campus are Starbucks, We Proudly Brew stores, meaning that a licensed store would have a different menu.

“Not to say we’re committing to any of these brands, but discussions to include one or two additional brands are ongoing,” Crump said.

According to students that Crump and Louie have spoken to, the student feedback has been positive. More than two weeks have passed since the grand opening and big lines continue to accumulate in the Dining Hall. It could just be that it’s new, but they have garnered new customers, Crump said.

“As with anything, only time will tell, but it has been successful so far,” Crump said.

Crump and Louie have been working together to make sure QC students are satisfied.

“This is the first step of many endeavors,” Louie said. “Chartwells truly does care about what students feel. They truly do take student feedback into consideration.”

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